The Fourth Phase

by Adrian J. Smith

  Dee grasped Katherine’s hand and her eyes fluttered open. She smiled up at her. “Dee.”

  Dee shifted closer on the chair. “Hey.”

  She tightened her grip on Dee’s hand. “She was sorry, Diana. Sorry for leaving you.”

  Dee searched Katherine’s face, looking for any signs of deceit. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “She would want me to.”

  “Before all this madness started, where was she?”

  “She was working in a lab down near Christchurch. But listen, I need to tell you this. All the labs are listed on a memory stick in that case.”

  Dee held her tongue. She wanted to hear what Katherine had to say.

  “Your mother got obsessed with her work. She became so caught up in her pursuit of scientific greatness, she ignored her motherly instincts. Ignored the fact that she had a daughter. She talked about you often over the years, trying to think of a way to repair the damage. Reconcile, if you will. But the longer she left it, the harder it became. She loved you, Diana, and I know she is sorry for abandoning you and your father. It was easier for her to work than to bring you up. Seeing you now, I can see she missed it all. Missed watching you grow into a wonderful woman.” She squeezed Dee’s hand and lifted her free hand out towards Jack. Jack moved forward and tentatively grasped it.

  Katherine looked between them. “Don’t waste what time you have left. Enjoy each moment with each other. Another’s love, and your love for others, is what is important. Not silly things like Bovine genetics.” She coughed. Bubbles of saliva and blood escaped her mouth, dribbling down her chin.

  Dee glanced up at Jack, pain and sorrow washing through her. She knew Jack would be processing everything Katherine had said too, mulling it over.

  Jack tilted his head towards the door and looked back to Katherine, waiting for her to finish coughing. “I’ll let you have some private time with Dee so you can tell her more. Can I ask you a question, though?”

  Katherine opened her eyes, looking at Jack. “Sure, sure. Go ahead.”

  “What do you know about this Hemorrhage Virus? For some reason, the Army won’t tell us much.”

  Katherine wiped her mouth and looked between Jack and Dee. “I’ll tell you what little I know. I got this information from my ex, an American scientist. They asked those of us left in the science community to help figure out a way to fix this. Early on, I was working with a facility in the Blue Mountains before it went dark.” She took a breath. “It started life during the Vietnam War as a drug called VX-99. Scientists at USAMRIID created a bioweapon by combining it with the Zaire strain of Ebola. They called the result X9H9, or Hemorrhage Virus.”

  Katherine coughed again, a racking, wet cough. Dee’s mind reeled. Katherine had confirmed all she had suspected and knew already. Hearing it from a scientist left a hollow feeling in her stomach. All this death, all this horror and loss. Man-made. Dee rubbed a hand through her dirty, sweaty hair. She glanced up at the man she loved, finding some comfort in his blue eyes. He looked just as shocked and mad as she felt.

  “So why was your lab built under the mountain?” Jack questioned further.

  “We were doing some cutting-edge procedures. Some might call them questionable. Best to keep out of sight. I’m surprised we lasted so long. So many of my contemporaries went dark.”

  Dee’s mind swam with this new information as she watched Katherine struggling, coughing up blood. The gnawing she felt in the pit of the stomach returned. “Hang in there. We’re going to call in the chopper and get you to Mayor Island. Get you stitched up. We have a good doctor and excellent nurses to help.”

  Katherine shook her head. “It’s too late for me, Dee. I’m bleeding internally. I don’t have long to live. A few minutes at best.”

  Dee glanced down at the bandaged wound. It continued to seep blood, confirming Katherine’s diagnosis. “I’ll stay with you. I’m not going to abandon you like my mother did me.”

  Katherine chuckled. “She deserves that. Thank you. I was there at your beginning, it’s poetic that you are here at my end.”

  Dee had no response to that, so she rested her hand on the dying scientist’s. Katherine squeezed her hand weakly, her breathing becoming shallow and laboured.

  Jack and Dee sat with Katherine as the sun crept higher, casting its beams through the window. The sun had just reached Katherine’s face when she gasped a couple of times and then let out a whistling breath. Her eyes opened, fluttered, and then closed.

  Dee leant forward, pushing her head against Katherine’s chest. She waited, listening for her heart. Hearing nothing, she rose up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked at the elderly women, and then to Jack. He reached out and hugged her close.

  “She’s gone.”

  Jack didn’t reply. He just held her close.

  One of the elderly women covered Katherine with the sheet and said something in Te Reo. Then she turned to Dee. “She’s with the spirits now.”

  Dee nodded her thanks, and let Jack take her from the room, leading her outside. The exhaustion of the last few days was eating away at her. Add in the emotion of the last few hours, and she had never felt so utterly spent. Jack stayed silent, walking beside her. He gently led her towards the central building with the carvings, and guided her to sit on the steps.

  “You okay?”

  “I just feel numb, and confused.”

  “Just something else for us to work through.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hey! Are you hungry?” Jack nudged her ribs.

  “Starving.”

  Dee yanked Jack to his feet, and they followed the smell of food to a smaller building beside the carved meeting house. Piles of shoes were cast to either side. Dee bent over and untied her boots. Once she’d removed her aching feet, she rubbed them, but pulled away from the stench. She followed Jack into the building, the cooking smells making her stomach rumble. Dee realised that she hadn’t eaten anything wholesome for several days, and the thought of food cast aside her emotions. She breathed in, enjoying the smell of bread and the telltale whiff of frying bacon.

  SIXTEEN

  The swell of the waves rolled under the fiberglass hull of the boat. James watched the Indonesian Sigma-class corvette draw closer. A smaller RHIB — rigid-hulled inflatable boat — broke away from the grey hull of the ship and moved out to meet them.

  James planted his feet wider and tried to move in sequence with the sea, assessing the boat as it approached. A figure stood apart from the other men, back straight, head held high. James guessed that this was Captain Arif Koto.

  As the boats drew together, he was pleased to see them unarmed, as he had requested. The boats bumped, the contact vibrating under his feet.

  James’s soldiers helped the Indonesians into the boat. Once they were aboard, the pilot gunned the engine, the bow lifting slightly at the extra power. James clasped the Captain’s hand in greeting and indicated for him to sit in one of the boat’s three spare seats. The accompanying soldiers remained standing. James breathed in, savouring the fresh salt air. He swivelled around to face Koto, getting a better look at him. He had jet black hair and mocha skin. His limbs were thin, but he had a large paunch.

  Koto, seeing where James directed his gaze, patted his stomach. “Too much curry, Colonel.”

  James let out a bark of laughter. Despite his displeasure at the arrival of the Indonesian refugees, he admired Koto for his tenacity at finding a new home for his people. They had spent the last few weeks sailing the Pacific, looking for that home. Who was he to deny them that? Hadn’t everyone on earth been a refugee at some stage? His own ancestors had fled slavery on Hawaiki and sought new lands, spending months and years searching before finding a virgin land tucked away in the deep Pacific. Some believed the land had been populated before the Maori, by a people called the Moriori. James smiled to himself, remembering the oral history of his Iwi. It told stories of a people to the south and the outlying islands, a peaceful people of gre
at songs. People now lost to the mists of time.

  He looked back at Koto, who was assessing him in turn by the way his eyes flicked back and forth. He watched over Koto’s shoulder as Great Barrier Island drew closer. James had stationed a platoon of soldiers on the small dock. They saluted as the boat nudged against the wooden piles. James stood and indicated with his hand for Koto and his men to disembark first. James’s men stood at attention as he led Koto to an awaiting vehicle.

  The Jeep turned away from the dock, past a small fisheries building and into the village hugging the shore. The civilian population stood in doorways and stared out their windows, trying to catch a glimpse as the Jeep sped past, heading to the FOB.

  Badminton stood at the open door, saluting as James led Koto into the head room. Happy to see the refreshments had been laid out, James waited until Koto had seated himself.

  Taking his seat at the head of the table, he indicated for Badminton to shut the door. Hearing it snap shut, he placed his hands on the table and looked at Koto. “I must admit, Captain, this is a very unusual way for two officers to meet. But these are trying times. With so few of us remaining, my superiors have ordered me to reach an agreement with you. For the record, I don’t agree with them. In my opinion, people of different religions and moral beliefs always end up killing each other. History, if anything, has taught us this time and again. But I’m an officer of the New Zealand Army, so I will abide by my orders. But that doesn’t mean I have to like them.”

  Koto shifted in his chair, holding James’s gaze. He cleared his throat. “Thank you, Colonel. I thank God that he blessed us, that we not be turned away again. We want nothing but peace. As you can see, we are unarmed and have shown no sign of anger…anger? Is this the right word? Please my English is rusty.” James nodded, so Koto continued. “I know you must be asking yourself, why didn’t we stay in Indonesia, we have thousands of islands? But I assure you, Colonel, we tried. We lost so many people to those Jinn, time and again we just escaped with our life. But praises to God we survived. Island after island we tried. The ones with no Jinn, we couldn’t live on. So I decided, Colonel, to try out here in the Pacific.”

  James steepled his fingers together. “Why not Australia? Big country, lots of room.”

  Koto smiled and leant back in his chair. “Yes, Australia. In truth be told, Colonel, the Aussies…they don’t like us. Think all of Indonesia is to blame for Bali bombing, for all the boat people over the years. They have bigger navy. Too risky, we come here. Kiwis friendly. I think I was right.”

  James nodded in agreement. As much as he loved Australia and he honored the ANZAC spirit, they did tend to be aggressive. Koto had made the right decision in choosing to avoid Australia. He glanced out the window at the bush-clad mountains. He never would’ve thought that he would be negotiating with refugees during the Variant apocalypse. He pushed his personal feelings aside and looked back at Koto.

  “We have some islands not far from here. A group called the Mercury Islands. The Brigadier is offering your people the biggest one. In exchange, he asks that you sign accords to farm the land and trade with us in the future. He also asks that you provide whatever military assistance we require now and in the future to help defeat the Variants, or Jinn as you call them, infecting our mainland. Captain, I don’t think you will get a better deal. A treaty is being drawn up as we speak. I hope you honour this treaty better than the last lot did.”

  Koto raised an eyebrow at James. “The last lot?”

  James let out a sigh. “Yes, the last lot. You’re going to have to learn some New Zealand history if you want to live here, Captain. The British signed a treaty with the Maori in 1840, at a place called Waitangi. They promptly ignored it and destroyed our way of life.”

  Koto nodded his head. “We will honour our agreement, Colonel. In this new world, we must if we are to survive.”

  “Yes, I agree with you, Captain. Let’s hope so. Please join me for some food. Looks like the men caught some nice crayfish this morning.”

  James reached out for a plate and started to fill it. There was a knock at the door. Badminton entered. Saluting, he said, “Sorry to interrupt, Sir, but I thought you would like to know. Captain Johns just radioed. He’s asking for immediate evac. They’re alive, Sir.”

  “Very good, Lieutenant. What do we have available? Let’s get our troops home.”

  “That’s the thing, Sir. It’s all on Mayor, dealing with that.”

  James clenched his fist under the table.

  “Ahh…Colonel?”

  James looked over at Koto. “Yes?”

  “Perhaps we can be of assistance. In honour of our agreement, I mean. We have a helicopter that you can use.”

  James looked at Badminton, then back at Koto. “How soon can it be in the air?”

  “Fifteen minutes, twenty at the most.”

  “Make it so, Captain. And thank you.”

  James got up out of his chair and walked over to Koto. He reached out, offering his hand. “Let this be the start of a real treaty, Captain.”

  Koto grasped his hand in a two-handed shake. “Let’s get your men home.”

  SEVENTEEN

  Maggie leant out the window and fired at the pursuing 4x4, aiming for the tires. She squeezed the trigger, shifting her aim higher. Annoyingly, it clicked empty. She cursed at the small magazine of the New Zealand AR-15s, and quickly jammed another into the rifle.

  The countryside flew past. Maggie didn’t have time to take anything in. She shifted her attention from the tires and aimed for the windshield. Remembering the driver was on the other side to what she was used to, she estimated where the driver’s head was and let loose with a barrage of bullets. The rounds tore into the windshield, shattering it. She watched, satisfied, as the 4x4 swerved and fishtailed across the road, then smashed into the bank, flinging debris onto the road behind like a NASCAR car hitting the wall. It careened over the bank and out of sight.

  One down, one to go.

  The second 4x4 managed to avoid the carnage. One of the men leant out the window and fired a volley at the van, hitting the back windshield and showering the cowering children in tiny shards of glass. Leela screamed and ran towards the front of the van. Becs reached out and pulled her into a hug, crouching between the front seats.

  Without looking at Alice, Maggie called out, “Try losing them in the suburbs!”

  “Okay, I’m trying. I think we’re nearly there!” Alice shouted back.

  Maggie squinted through her sights and aimed again for the windshield, but this driver wasn’t as ignorant, and swerved from side to side. She felt the van slow down as Alice squealed around a corner. Out of the corner of her eyes, Maggie could see houses flying past now, lawns overgrown, and the sections littered with rubbish. Several Variants leapt over fences, following them, their hideous shrieks calling out.

  Alice steered the van left and right. Maggie was pretty impressed. To her chagrin, though, the 4x4 matched them with every turn.

  Gritting her teeth, Maggie turned to get her bearings. She looked over at Alice. “If you have any ideas, now’s the time.”

  Alice glanced at her, then grimaced as she took another turn, wrenching the steering wheel down hard. The van squealed as two of its wheels lifted off the ground. The screaming of the children went up a few octaves, piercing through Maggie’s brain. Alice managed to regain control of the van. “I’m trying to reach the city center. Lots of narrow roads.”

  “Good idea. Then we can ambush the bastards.”

  She turned and, dropping back into her seat, busied herself loading their weapons. Maggie glanced up from her task and looked over at Becs, holding a crying Leela. She reached out and squeezed the girl’s arm, hoping she could reassure her with this small sign of affection. The van screeched again as it took another turn, and Maggie felt it bump and judder as the road surface changed. She looked up through the windshield. Alice had piloted them in amongst the tall buildings of the city centre.

  M
aggie glanced left to right, looking for a good spot. Up ahead she could see a large fountain. Metal sculptures made to look like plants sprang up from the pool at the bottom. The water had turned green and murky with algae.

  Howls and shrieks bounced around the narrow spaces, alerting her to the Variants. Then she heard the squeal of the chasing 4x4’s tires as it tore down the road.

  Maggie pointed to the fountain up ahead. “Quickly! Smash the van into there.” Turning to the kids, she yelled, “Hold onto something!”

  Maggie reached over and hugged Becs and Leela, protecting them. The van smashed into the fountain. The back wheels lifted up off the ground before thumping back with a thud. Maggie slammed into the door pillar with the impact. Pain lanced down her right side. To her relief, the adrenalin flowing through her system masked the pain.

  Maggie looked at Becs. “Keep down out of sight. Don’t move. Please. Whatever you do, don’t move.”

  Becs nodded.

  Maggie flung open the door and threw a rifle to Alice. “Jump into the water but keep the gun up, and fire when I do.” Alice nodded and jumped in. Maggie eased into the murky water, submerging herself. She lifted the very top of her head above the water and rested the rifle on the concrete lip.

  The 4x4 came to a stop a few metres from the van. Three men in red coveralls emerged. One held up his rifle, scanning the buildings to his left. He stayed behind the van door.

  Smart. I’ll kill you last.

  The other one, on Maggie’s side, moved away from the van and looked around. She watched as he looked back at the man behind the door, shrugging his shoulders.

  The man behind the door shook his head. “Go check the van, Terry,” he said, waving his hand.

  Terry moved forward, his shotgun pointing at the ground.

  Silly boy.

  Maggie waited for him to get a few feet from her. Then she adjusted her aim and shot between the door and the 4x4.